Group gives helping hand to fight kid food insecurity

Elena Cousino
·2 min read

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — An organization in West Michigan is making it easier for children and their families to get food without drawing a lot of attention.

Hand2Hand started in 2008 in Jenison as a way to address food insecurity for kids and their families. Schools in West Michigan have programs for students to get free or reduced lunches, but Hand2Hand focuses on making sure kids get proper nutrition on the weekends.

“Our vision is to eliminate weekend hunger in all of West Michigan, so it’s a really big vision for us,” Jodi Joseph, the executive director of Hand2Hand, said.

The program feeds more than 12,000 students every weekend. Volunteers at almost 150 churches put together meals that include fresh produce, tacos and pizza recipes along with many other menu items.

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Those meals are then put into bags or backpacks and put into students’ lockers or in the school’s office on Fridays for students to take home for the weekend.

“In elementary, I did put it in my backpack, but in middle school, I had to go and pick it up,” Harrison Gilchrist, an eighth grader at Baldwin Street Middle School, said.

Hand2Hand decided to place the meals in lockers or the office, to make sure students like Gilchrist don’t feel embarrassed.

“Not many other kids (at my school) get this from Hand2Hand and so it’s kind of just makes me feel weird a little bit, but nice as well,” Gilchrist said.

“There is some sort of a stigma around receiving help at times and Hand2Hand is a program that supports families in various times of need,” Brenda Davis, the community school coordinator at Hudsonville Public Schools, said.

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Kelsey Volpe is a single mother who has been using the program for around five years. She said Hand2Hand helps her make sure her kids have enough to eat on the weekends.

“You don’t have to think about every day whether they’re having lunch,” Volpe said. “It’s just there.”

Hand2Hand is in eight counties in West Michigan. At the start of the school year, Hudsonville Public Schools sent out letters to families explaining the program and how they can enroll.

Hand2Hand said there are no specific requirements to qualify.

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